30 | OHCC LIVING | MARCH 2021 |
Birdwatchers
SPRING MIGRATION
Spring is a favorite time for birdwatching. Birds have lost their worn and tattered
feathers, replaced with new plumage. Males look especially bright and colorful to
claim territory and search for females. Females, not being as colorful, will have new
plumage for the nesting season. Carry binoculars on your next walk and look for our
year-round residents in their new plumage such as the house finch, scrub jay, lesser
goldfinch, mockingbird, and California towhee, among others. Also keep a lookout for
a bird migrating through on its way north to its nesting grounds.
The double-crested cormorant (lower right) is one of our coastal residents. During
breeding season both sexes form white feather tufts on either side of the head, thus
named double crested. Look for them on the bait barges at Oceanside Harbor. Brown
pelicans (upper left) can be found there also. The male and female pelicans develop
a red gular patch by the neck. This
red coloration disappears during
incubation and chick feeding. The
Ruddy duck (lower left) is another
year-round resident of fresh water
ponds and lakes. It is a small duck,
15" long, readily identified with
its tail sticking upward. During
breeding season, the male develops a
rufous body, white patch on the cheek
and a bright blue bill. Several males
can be seen at Discovery Lake in San
Marcos. Keep an eye to the sky.
